The Benefits of a Mentor in Manufacturing

A mentor is a valuable asset for a career in any industry, including manufacturing. Whether you are new to your career, want to learn more skills of the trade, advance in your company, or just want to connect with like-minded individuals to share experiences and ideas with, a mentor can help in all of these areas.

Here are a few benefits you can look forward to when working with a mentor in manufacturing:

Learn the Skills of the Trade

Whether you are new to the manufacturing industry or have been in a manufacturing career for a long time, it can never hurt to learn some new skills when it comes to your career. If you are a new hire, look to your mentor to help teach you the tricks of the trade. They can equip you with the skills you will need to be successful in this industry. If you have been in the manufacturing business for quite some time, consider finding a younger mentor. In an industry where technology is thriving and always evolving, it’s important to stay current with the changing processes that come along with Industry 4.0.

Career Path Counseling

Your mentor can help you make decisions about your future career path. It’s beneficial to ask a peer questions about your future manufacturing career, because they may share similar experiences having been in your shoes. Mentoring is an especially good outlet for counseling because a mentor within the manufacturing business will be more likely to offer honest feedback about the industry and what comes along with careers in different areas of the industry.

Are you looking to move up in the company where you work? Pairing up with a mentor within your company could lead to advancement within the company down the road. Finding mentors outside of your current company can also be valuable. They can offer a third-party perspective on situations that people at your company are too close to, to be objective.

Acquire Soft Skills

“Soft skills” are non-manufacturing skills that are still beneficial to those in the workforce. While manufacturing expertise is essential and very important, it is also important to learn other skills that will benefit you in your career. Your mentor can teach you how to be an excellent communicator, how to hone in on leadership skills and how to be a strategic thinker – all valuable traits to adopt for any career, including manufacturing.

Learn the Skills of the Trade

Whether you are new to the manufacturing industry or have been in a manufacturing career for a long time, it can never hurt to learn some new skills when it comes to your career. If you are a new hire, look to your mentor to help teach you the tricks of the trade. They can equip you with the skills you will need to be successful in this industry. If you have been in the manufacturing business for quite some time, consider finding a younger mentor. In an industry where technology is thriving and always evolving, it’s important to stay current with the changing processes that come along with Industry 4.0.

Unless you work for a company that has a structured mentoring program, you may need to seek a mentor out yourself. Look to your coworkers and manager. One of them may be interested in being a mentor to you and if they don’t have the capacity at the time, they may know someone who does.

You can also look outside of your company for a mentor. One place to look for a manufacturing mentor outside of your own company is at networking events. A lot of manufacturing companies take part in Manufacturing Day by hosting events. Manufacturing Day takes place in October, but companies can put on Manufacturing Day events any day of the year! Find an event near you. If you’re having trouble locating a Manufacturing Day event near you, you might be able to find a mentor by joining a manufacturing association, like the National Association of Manufacturers. Associations such as this one puts on meetings and events for members which would be a great place to meet a mentor in the industry.

Your mentor should possess a willingness to help, have patience and be a good listener. Look for those qualities when selecting who you want to mentor you.

Having a good mentor is an important part of career development that can easily be overlooked. If you want to flourish in your career, keep these things in mind when searching for a manufacturing mentor.

Leadership in the manufacturing realm can be challenging; high-impact jobs with possible high turnover can create a difficult environment to thrive in as a leader. We place manufacturing leaders every day at Alliance Technical Solutions, so we know what companies are looking for.

SMART manufacturing stands for: sense, measure, analyze, report and train. Many are deeming this the future of small to medium-sized manufacturing companies. New tech allows manufacturers to use energy more effectively using machines, more advanced processes and data in real time.

Earned by less than two percent of all staffing firms in the U.S. CLEVELAND, OH — FEBRUARY 15, 2018 — Alliance Solutions Group is proud to announce that its family of staffing companies won 10 of Inavero’s Best of Staffing® Client and Talent Awards for providing...